Automatic tobacco harvester of the type shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,841,071 and 3,695,014 are presently extensively used by flue-cured tobacco farmers. Basically, such tobacco harvesters include a leaf defoliating assembly that defoliates certain tobacco leaves from the respective stalks as the harvester moves through the field after which the defoliated tobacco leaves are conveyed from the defoliating assembly to a leaf receiving structure such as a trailer, container or a box-type rack. In conveying the leaves into such a leaf receiving structure, it is well known that the leaves tend to mat together and accumulate in a cone-shaped pile, usually leaving some of the corners and surrounding areas of the leaf receiving structure vacant. Even in cases where the leaf receiving structure is in the form of a trailer and the leaves received therein are later transferred by a hand into single tier conventional racks, the accumulation of leaves in a cone shape is undesirable. Unless the leaves are redistributed uniformly in the trailer or container by a worker stationed adjacent to the trailer or container by hand or some other suitable implement, the capacity of the trailer or container cannot be fully utilized, resulting in more frequent trailer or container exchanges and thereby affecting the efficiency of the tobacco harvester.
At present, many farmers are turning to what is often termed a box-type rack such as disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 529,490, filed Dec. 4, 1974. Such tobacco racks are directly filled by the tobacco harvester during the harvesting operation, and after filling the leaves are confined within the rack and the same is rotated approximately 90.degree. and placed in a curing and drying structure. To achieve good results with the box-type rack, it is important that the same be uniformly filled throughout. In the past, this has been accomplished by stationing a worker adjacent the rack or container during the harvesting operation and the worker by hand or implement spreading and redistributing the leaves being conveyed into the rack. While this may generally be satisfactory, scarcity of labor has been one, if not the principal, reason for the sudden rush to total mechanization in tobacco farming. Because labor remains scarce and is becoming more so each year, it is desirable to eliminate labor requirements where the required work can be feasibly done mechanically.